


Ranger Chronicles

by bwolves



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon Ranger
Genre: all the rangers, human consequences to institutional change, labor of love for 10 years of playing pokemon ranger, lots of bureaucracy and world building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-29
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-10-25 10:52:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10762779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bwolves/pseuds/bwolves
Summary: When the Rangers face dissolution from a joint investigation in Almia and Fiore, the Ranger Union enacts several changes that rock the foundation of what the Rangers are.  Solana Hinata and Kate Hitomi become the faces of the battle to save the Rangers.  Many different Ranger ships, lots of world-building and character development.





	1. The Straw

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pokemon Rangers is as dead as dead can be, but... here we go anyway.

Five years past Go Rock Quads, two years past Team Dim Sun

It was eleven in the morning and Spenser still hadn’t emerged from his room.

Solana had spent the morning flitting between the kitchen, the living room, and Spenser’s door, chatting with Melody and Lunick when they got back from patrol and keeping Lunick company while he made a round of pancakes for everyone for breakfast.  However, she always found herself casting a watchful eye on the still firmly-shut door, waiting for any indication that Spenser was even alive in there.

He had gotten in late from Fall City last night and gone straight to his room, door sliding behind him before Solana could even get up from the couch and ask how the day had gone.  However, according to a styler message from Aria and the morning Fiore news, it hadn’t been good. 

She and Cindi were supposed to go out for another patrol in about ten minutes and Solana’s anxiety was at an all-time high. 

Lunick appeared at her side, a plate of pancakes in one hand.  He nodded toward the door and gestured with the plate of pancakes.  “Check on him.  See if he wants any.”

Solana took the plate hesitantly.  “I don’t want to wake him up if he’s actually getting sleep.”

Lunick shrugged.  “He’d want to be awake anyway.  And you’re going to burn a hole through that door if you stare at it any longer.”

She made a face at that, but decided that it was ultimately accurate and headed for the door.  Basically all of the occupants in the living room watched her as she did, suddenly going silent.  Solana gestured at Lunick to keep them busy.  The last thing they needed was nosy junior rangers.

She knocked first, hesitantly, with no response.  Turning the handle and pushing the door forward, she peeked into the completely dark room for some sign that Spenser was cognizant and breathing.

“Spenser?”

She was answered by a low groan and a shift in the mass of blankets in Spenser’s bed.

She grinned.  She could deal with Sleepy Spenser.  Sleepy Spenser was her favorite because he typically refused to seem sleepy ever and it was so fun to be reminded (and to remind him) that he was only human. 

“Rise and shine, sunshine,” she greeted him in the softest and most ridiculous voice as she slipped into his room and pulled the door shut behind her.  She approached the bed and sat on the edge, placing the plate of pancakes on the bedside table.  “Rough night?”

Spenser finally pushed him head out from beneath the cocoon of covers.  Solana couldn’t see much in the dark of the room initially, but her eyes were starting to adjust and she saw him blink blearily and finally focus in on her.

“Solana, hey,” he answered, sounding relieved that it was her.  He flopped back onto his pillow, green hair going every which way.  There was a long pause as he gathered his surroundings.  “What time is it?”

“Eleven,” she said and grinned at his disoriented state, unable to help it.  “Sleepyhead.”

He groaned at that.  “Fuck.  Ugh.”

“I’m so glad to be graced by Swearing Spenser right now.  That never happens.”

He grinned wryly despite his exhaustion.  “Hm, enjoy it while it lasts.”

There was a long moment of silence then and Solana wasn’t sure what to do next.  She couldn’t remember the last time Spenser had been like this – if he’d ever been like this.  From beside her, Spenser took a deep, shaky breath and let it out, rubbing at his face. 

“I’m really fucked, ‘Lana.”

“We’ll figure it out,” she answered quietly, watching his profile in the dark.  “We always do.”

He tilted his head to look at her and the set of her jaw must have meant something to him because he nodded.  “Okay,” he sighed.  “Okay.  Well, I have to finish my mission report first.  I spent five hours on it last night and still didn’t get it done.”

“Sure,” she said, getting up.  “There are pancakes on the table there and I’m gonna get you some orange juice.  I’ll be right back.”

He nodded, still blinking the sleep out of his eyes.  She exited the room, closing the door behind her.  Lunick was waiting on the other side, leaning against the wall and flipping through his styler like he was doing something besides hovering.  She smiled at the picture, remembering that they all looked out for each other.  If she were to look around the corner, she was sure the rest of their rangers were listening in, nosy little things.

She kicked at his foot and he looked up, giving her an inquisitive eyebrow raise. 

“It’s gonna be a rough day.”

He nodded, as if he had expected this.  “I’ll take your patrol then.”

“You sure?”

“Keep him company and get him moving,” Lunick assured her, slipping his styler in his pocket.  “Do your thing.  Cindi and I got this.”

She nodded, pushing her bangs back and sighing.  She watched Lunick tap Cindi and get ready to leave.  The TV in the living room still hummed in the background and one of the other base members had turned it to the news recently.

_“Fall City Rangers are still cleaning up the devastation of the recent Gyarados attack last night.   Sources report that Ranger Leaders Joel of Fall City and Spenser of Ringtown led the charge and failed to subdue the Gyarados as it destroyed an entire pier of Fall City, resulting in two severe injuries and multiple other minor injuries.  The Ranger Union has been silent on what happened, but have formally apologized on the behalf of their rangers-“_

The TV shut off abruptly and Solana glanced up to see Kai, the Ringtown mechanic, holding the remote.  He gave her a nod and a small smile and Solana felt a weight lift off her shoulders.

They would get through this. 

 

* * *

 

When Keith arrived at the scene, he had never seen Fall City so demoralized and chaotic.

It was no secret that Joel ran a tight base.  He had to, considering Fall City was the largest base in Fiore and Almia in terms of case load and rangers.  Plus, Keith had grown up in Fall City and used to stalk the Fall City rangers before he went away to Ranger School because being a ranger was all he had ever wanted, so he was very familiar with the city and the way Fall City’s base had to run.

This was a sad shadow of what Fall City usually was.  Keith could see the decimated pier during the approach on his starraptor and, as he got closer, saw the swarming mass of people being held back at the barriers.  Discarded rubble was still being cleaned up all over the harbor and it was clear that the damage had been significant.  He could spot news cameras rolling by the barrier and he winced.  Today was not a good day for the Rangers.

He landed and dismounted near the end of an undamaged pier, giving himself time to get a view of the full picture before jumping in.  As he got closer, he noticed Joel at the far end of the harbor, deep in conversation with a curly, blonde-haired woman that Keith could recognize as Maggie, the Fall City base mechanic.  They appeared to be arguing, the blonde woman waving her arms frantically while Joel crossed his arms, expression looking stony even from here.

Figuring it would be a few moments before Joel was free to talk, Keith moved towards the Fall City rangers working the barricade.  He caught one near the edge of the group, directing some Machop and Hariyama on moving the rubble.  She was petite – likely right out of the last class of ranger school, since he hadn’t seen her before – with brown hair and brown eyes.  She wore the typical Fall City ranger uniform and a red scarf on as an accessory.     

“Hi, you’re a Fall City ranger, right?”  He asked, offering his hand.  “Keith, from the Ranger Union.

The girl blinked, expression perfectly schooled despite her surprise at Keith’s approach.  “Summer,” she answered smoothly, offering her hand.  “You must be here to assess the damage.”

“That’s me,” Keith said, as disarmingly as he could.  He hated being the bad cop, especially when he wasn’t actually the bad cop.  He was just the cop who drew the short straw and had to do a cursory internal investigation of people that he very much respected and appreciated.  “Could you point me to one of your senior rangers?  Sam or Aria, I assume?”

“Of course,” she answered, and pointed in the direction of the barricade.  “Aria’s in charge of the barricade and Sam’s over there.  He’s running a system of categorizing and returning any civilian items to the mob there.  That’s what most of them are here for.  We’ve cut off access to the boathouse and a few harbor apartments and people want to know if their belongings are okay.”

“Thanks,” Keith nodded and continued down the harbor, leaving the girl to her work.  Aria was pacing the barricade fence like a pyroar, watching carefully for any jostling or pushing.  She seemed utterly and totally occupied and so Keith made a beeline for Sam, who was conversing with another younger ranger.  He didn’t know the other ranger terribly well, but they’d met at a few ranger gatherings and Keith knew most of the Fall City rangers in one way or another.  He hung back for a moment, waiting to see where he could step in.

“You’re doing great, Jess.  You and Kace just finish securing those apartments and we can move the angriest of these civilians back into their homes.  Do you need any back-up?”

The girl shook her head emphatically.  “Nope.  We’re on it.  Give us another 20 minutes and we’re good.”

“That’s what I like to hear,” Sam grinned in return.  Jess gave a small salute – whether in jest or solemnity, Keith wasn’t sure – and departed, which gave Keith a convenient in.

“Sam, hi,” Keith greeted him and reached out a hand.  “Good to see you again.”

“Keith,” he said, tone warm.  “Welcome back to Fall City.  You talked with your parents?  They’re okay?”

“Yeah, they weren’t anywhere near the port last night,” Keith answered.  “Thanks for asking.”

“Sorry about all this,” Sam looked around mournfully at the rubble of Fall City.  “We’re doing everything we can to create as little inconvenience for the people of Fall City as possible.”

“Of course, understood,” he answered.  This was always the most difficult part of being a Ranger:  picking up the pieces and wondering if you could have done something – anything – differently.  As a Top Ranger, Keith hadn’t done this in a while.  Hopping place to place wherever he was needed meant that it was usually someone else’s job to pick up after him.  “I’m here to help in whatever way I can.”

“And report back to the Union,” Sam said wryly.  Keith was no people-person or reader of politics, but even he knew that Sam was the type that knew which way the political winds were blowing:  namely, not in the direction of his leader.  Being the biggest and most bureaucratic base, Fall City rangers were always the first to know the political landscape, and, as a senior ranger of Fall City, Sam Castaneda was savvier than most.  “As you can see, we’re responding according to all the Ranger policies.  Right now, Joel is hashing out the cost to the city and any kind of punitive damages toward the rangers.  Legal issues.  He delegated the immediate physical clean-up to his two senior rangers – Aria and myself – who both have been rangers in Fall City for close to ten years and know the city top-to-bottom.  Our operator and an assisting ranger from Wintown are holding down the main base in case of emergency.  Summer is doing clean-up with those Machop and Hariyama—“ he gestured to the girl that Keith had met previously, “and Jess and Kace are clearing the port apartments to make sure there is nothing dangerous or life-threatening to our residents.  Lastly, Ryder and an assisting Summerland ranger are patrolling the other sectors of the city to keep the peace.”

Keith raised an eyebrow.  “Very thorough.”

Sam shrugged disarmingly.  “Please inform the Union that we’re handling this strictly according to the rulebook.  We wouldn’t want any misunderstandings.”

Keith had expected tension, but this seemed something more.  He could certainly appreciate how well Sam was protecting his leader right now – Keith would have done the same thing for Elita back in the day.  Any area ranger would.

“Right,” Keith answered.  Fall City’s political standing was the least pressing of his concerns.  Although the reports coming out of Fall City were certainly bad, Keith couldn’t imagine that Joel could be in that much trouble.  As a kid, Keith had watched him go from Fall City’s young talent, to being groomed as the next leader, to being Fall City’s most trusted figure of authority.  He was much more popular than the mayor or local government, to be sure. 

Keith wasn’t sure what he thought about the narrative that Joel and Spenser recklessly endangered Fall City when they could have called for back-up.  Their rivalry was legendary amongst the rangers, but that didn’t mean they were idiots.  They were seasoned rangers of twelve years who knew what they were doing, not a pair of kids trying to one-up each other. 

But things had been more tense than usual at the Union lately.  Keith usually didn’t concern himself much with the politics of the Union – he had enough to think about.  He had Sven and Wendy to guide him on that.  And Kate, if she ever decided to come back from her self-imposed exile.

He couldn’t think about Kate right now and how she would know what to do so much better than he did.    

He turned his attention back to the problem at hand.  “Show me what I can do to help.” 

 

* * *

 

“You know, Joel is the one that’s really screwed.”

“It’s not a competition, Spense,” Solana replied dryly, knowing all the same that it always was with them.  It was almost 2 in the afternoon and they hadn’t left his room yet.  Spenser was still hunched over his report and she was curled up in his armchair under the guise of reading a book, although she mostly just threw worried glances his way and talked him through his report.  He hadn’t actually said much about what had happened, surprisingly, even when she asked questions.  He was proving very adept at avoiding details. 

“But I get to hide out back in Ringtown,” he said with a quirk of his mouth.  “Joel’s still in the thick of it.”  He sighed, resting his forehead on the desk briefly.  “I should have stayed.”

“You guys would only get in each other’s way,” Solana said with an eyeroll.  “And you needed sleep.”   

“I know.”

There was a long moment of silence, but Spenser still wasn’t moving to write his report.  Solana sat up straighter and shut her book slowly.  This was so unlike him.  He never had trouble filing and submitting reports.  He wasn’t quite at the OCD level of Joel with timely paperwork and there always seemed to be a pile of administrative work on his desk that he just kept avoiding until their operator Kyrie threatened him, but a big mission report like this wasn’t the kind of thing you could procrastinate away.

She watched him for a moment as he stared blankly at the page, mind clearly elsewhere.  “Spenser, why won’t you just tell me what happened?”

He didn’t move for a moment, his head still on the desk.  His voice was muffled when he spoke, as if that might obfuscate what he was saying.  “It was a political shitshow, ‘Lana.”

“What does that mean?”

Spenser sighed and finally raised his head to look her dead in the eyes.  “It means that Joel and I didn’t want to take that Gyarados on by ourselves. We were told to.”

“What?  Why?”

Spenser shrugged.  “Some idiot at the Union decided that this needed to be a fucking PR stunt and sent me and Joel to take care of something that we should have taken more back-up to handle.  As much as we try not to get politicized, the Rangers are seen as too weak.  We have our ideals, but ultimately we make friends with dangerous pokemon, while trainers take them down.  This was supposed to be a grand showing to remind everyone that we can handle ourselves.”

Solana blinked, remembering the news’ exclusive coverage of Spenser and Joel as the sole engagers.  Where had the rest of the Fall City base been?  “Yeah, I didn’t think that Joel would misjudge something like this.  And neither one of you have this kind of ego.”

“The Union’s in trouble, ‘Lana,” Spenser finally said and Solana immediately realized that this was way over her head.  She wasn’t interested in the intricate political details of the Ranger Union.  She just wanted her little countryside base and home to stay intact.  “There’s lot of reasons why, I’m sure the first of which involved a whole lot of political maneuvering.”

“So, they’re making you and Joel take the fall for it?”

Spenser nodded, looking too exhausted to say anything.

“I – they can’t,” she retorted, leaning forward in her chair.  “This is the Rangers.  We don’t do that.”

“Sometimes we do.”

“Well, I’m not going to let them do this to you.”

“Solana, that’s the least of our concerns,” Spenser answered.  “My ego is irrelevant.  If we don’t fix this perception problem, the Rangers are gone.”

Solana just stared at him.

“’Lana, the Rangers are slated to be under investigation.  And we just made it a whole lot worse.”  


	2. Rumor Has It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plot has taken a backseat to character introductions, relationship building, and fluff. A proper intro to the Ringtown Ranger base (ft. reallygreatbros!Solana and Lunick, plus cute baby Melody), followed by Keith having feelings and loving beds.

“Wow, under investigation,” Lunick whistled, raising an eyebrow. “That’s really not good.”

“That’s why Spenser is so worried,” Solana answered, raising a hand to wave at Old Man Larry as they passed by. Usually, the early morning patrol was her least favorite time of the day, but she hadn’t been able to get Lunick alone until now. The rest of the day yesterday had been fine – Spenser had finally finished that report and the whole base had eaten dinner together, at his insistence. Solana had taken the late night patrol on her own and Lunick had been asleep by the time she had gotten back.

“Wait, how are we supposed to know this?” Lunick asked, dubious. “It sounds like we shouldn’t know this.”

“It’s fine, it’s Spenser,” Solana waved it off. “You know he doesn’t care about procedure that much. Plus, he feels uncomfortable keeping things from his senior rangers. I think he wants to tell everyone else too, but he doesn’t want to worry them.”

“Okay, he’s good with you telling me this, then?” He continued, narrowing his eyes. “I mean, this isn’t, like, one of those things that he tells you only because you guys are basically dating, right?”

Solana gave him a deadpan look while Lunick stared intently in response, then seemed to realize what she was upset about. “Hey, it’s a relevant question!”

“It’s not and you’re being ridiculous.”

“Hm, yeah, it’s me that’s being ridiculous.”

“Okay, this is so not the point,” Solana answered, clearing her throat. “He told me to tell you.”  
Lunick seemed to accept this answer.

“Or rather, he said that I shouldn’t tell anyone until he decides what to do about it and I said, ‘Except for Lunick’ and he said, ‘Well, yeah, of course, I had just assumed that telling you would be telling Lunick. You guys are like the same person.’”

“Okay, we are most definitely not the same person,” Lunick shook his head, seeming vaguely offended.

Solana shrugged. “We kind of are.”

He peered at her like she was some kind of foreign object. “How can you be comfortable being the same person?”

She laughed, almost a cackle. “Because you get this really adorable wrinkle in your brow when I confuse you, like right there --”  
Lunick fended her away as she tried to point out exactly what wrinkle she was talking about and frowned fiercely. “Ah, stop it, why do you get so much personal satisfaction from messing with me?”

She smiled in satisfaction and skipped, an extra hop in her step. “I’m sorry, Lunick, it’s my purpose on this earth. I have to.”

“Mhm-hm,” he rolled his eyes, but seemed to humor her.

They approached the base, having finished their rounds around Ringtown. Solana would grab some breakfast and then go on a larger tour of Lyra Forest. One of the residents had complained about a troublesome Aipom that was playing tricks on some exploring picnickers and Solana was on the case. Ringtown’s small town charm really was her favorite part of this job.

She glanced to the side at Lunick, who still seemed to be struggling with a frown, and remembered that wasn’t true. Ringtown’s rangers were her favorite part of this job.

They entered the automatic double door of the Ringtown Ranger base to a brewing argument in the lobby of the ranger base.

Kyrie, their base’s operator, was always the picture of professionalism. Pencil skirts and blouses made up most of her wardrobe, so the heavy eye make-up and multiple ear piercings sometimes threw people off. In reality, Kyrie was the most subtly aggressive and sarcastic human being Solana had ever met and she was most of the reason that any of the Ringtown rangers were still breathing and sane.

She was sitting at the front desk, chewing at the end of a pencil with the guise of absent-mindedness, but with a fury in her movements that

Solana always enjoyed seeing. Kyrie was pleasant and friendly enough to anyone who came into the base requesting help, but Arceus help you were a nuisance.

“Excuse me, if you could please call Spenser and let him know that I’d really like his –“

“Mhm, yeah, sorry, Phil, he’s not available right now,” she answered, still chewing on the end of the pencil and typing on the computer in front of her, as if she was actually checking. Solana was almost sure she was playing Snake. She was actually a master at Snake.

“That’s what you said yesterday, too.”

Solana grabbed Lunick’s arm and pulled him back, letting the scene play out.

Kyrie spared a glance for the man across the counter, eyebrows drawing down infinitesimally, as if wondering why he was still here. “You know, I’m gonna throw a crazy idea out there, Phil, but sometimes people are busy at multiple different times. I don’t know if you remember, but you’re talking about the leader of an entire ranger base. He’s probably got more than one thing to do in a 24-hour period.”

“Listen, Kyrie, I have every right to write this article. He can either get on board and provide me with a quote or he can read it in tomorrow’s paper.”

She went back to her game of Snake. “Of course, I’m sure you have back-up plans to head to Fall City, interview Joel – I hear he has lots of free time – and really provide support and background for your story. Or the Ranger Union is another option – they would love to spend tons of time talking to a small-town reporter from Ringtown with a circulation of about 20 people.”

“62 people,” he answered, crossing his arms.

“Right, sorry,” Kyrie amended, still not looking up. “Good job, that’s a lot of growth.”

The reporter huffed and tapped on the counter, seemingly considering his options. Kyrie continued tapping on the keys, face a mask of politeness. After a few moments, she considered the reporter again.

“Now, if you’d like something more substantiated, you can wait by the phone and I will call you when he’s got a free moment.”

The reporter seemed to find this more agreeable than anything else Kyrie had said thus far and he nodded. “Soon. You’ll call me soon.”  
“As soon as he’s got a free moment, Phil. Like I said.”

The reporter turned and noticed his audience and, seemingly embarrassed by the way Kyrie had played him, made for the door immediately without so much as a “hello”.

“Hey, Phil,” Lunick added as he stormed out the door.

“Yeah, I don’t think he heard you,” Solana said, patting Lunick’s shoulder. “Next time, buddy.”

They approached Kyrie, who was still occupied by her game of Snake. Solana leaned over the desk to verify her suspicions and, sure enough, she was right. “Oooh, careful, right there, go up –“

“Okay, Hinata,” Kyrie muttered, waving her away. “I think I got this.”

Solana leaned back, undeterred. “Way to handle that guy back there.”

“Thanks,” Kyrie muttered, giving the two of them a cursory glance. “Spenser doesn’t need bad press in Ringtown. We’ll give Phil some time to cool off and maybe some other information will come out in the meantime.”

Solana shot a look at Lunick, who cocked his head to the side in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, something’s going on,” Kyrie muttered, swearing under her breath as her fingers stuttered over the keyboard. “You guys don’t really believe Spenser would fuck up like that, do you?”

Solana was left tongue-tied, but Kyrie appeared too caught up in her game to notice. She made a tsking sound and leaned back from her computer with a disappointed slouch. “I’ve really lost my touch.” She resumed moving with the mouse, likely cycling through the various windows she had open. “Hey, by the way, the kids’re coming by after school today. Mindy’s got a work thing, so I’ll be keeping an eye on them.”

Solana immediately pushed her other concerns back and grinned, turning to Lunick. “Yes! Hide and seek. 3:30. You in or not?”

“I’ve got patrol then,” Lunick answered wryly. “I’m sure I’ll have some time when I get back though.”

“Do you think I can get Cindi to play this time?” She asked him, eyes narrowed. “I can never figure out when she’s too cool and when it’s fun.”

“It’s a toss-up with her,” he agreed. “Let me know when you figure it out.”

“Just checking, but isn’t she your sister?” Kyrie asked dryly, one eyebrow raised.

“Which just means that she can be more of a pain in the ass,” Lunick grumbled. “Makes her more unpredictable in some ways.”

Kyrie shrugged. “Fair.”

“Okay, we’ll head in,” Solana tugged at Lunick’s arm and he trailed behind her. “Let me know when Cynthia and Austin get here!”

“Will do,” came Kyrie’s reply.

Early morning at the Ringtown base was the calmest part of the day. Of the Rangers living there, only Spenser and Lunick were actually morning people, and so most of the base remained sleepy and relaxed until at least midmorning. When Solana and Lunick entered the living room, Cindi and Kai were sitting at the table, nursing some kind of hot drink and talking quietly.

Cindi was Lunick’s sister and had come to the base three years ago as preppy and aloof, always concerned with her appearance and likeability, which seemed strange considering Lunick had always been so down-to-earth. Her popular girl attitude had quickly faded though, especially given her friendship with Kai, the reclusive and messy mechanic, and Melody, the enthusiastic and genuine little sister of Altru genius employee and Ranger School graduate Isaac.

Kai had also come to the base about three years ago, a little bit before Cindi. He’d been similarly hard to draw out of his shell, although he was just more quiet and kept to himself, always fiddling with some project or another. Of course, that wasn’t going to last long with Solana in the base and he’d been dragged into things left and right. Cindi and Melody had been the best method, though, and now Kai would work out in the living room with everyone instead of in the mechanic’s room with the door closed. Solana considered that a win.

Kai nodded as they came in, still rocking a bedhead, his dark hair every which way. “Hey, guys.”

Solana pushed back the chair next to him and collapsed into it. “Hey,” she turned to Cindi, who was twirling the end of her dark red braid like she always did out of habit. “You know, your brother woke me up at six this morning and didn’t even make me coffee.”

“Sounds like him,” Cindi nodded almost haughtily.

“Solana and coffee are like the ongoing tragedy of this base,” Lunick answered, heading toward the kitchen. “I would do better not to encourage that.”

“Me and that coffee machine are the ongoing tragedy,” Solana yelled back, then sighed to Cindi and Kai. “I swear, it enjoys messing with me. It taunted me one morning. I heard it.”

“I think that was just the sleep deprivation,” Lunick piped up from the kitchen and Solana grinned.

“You know, I’ve already offered to take a look at it,” Kai added, raising an eyebrow.

Solana waved him off. “Yeah, but we’ve got this thing going on now, like kind of a stand-off. It’s important that I do this on my own.”

Lunick came back in the living room, two coffee mugs in hand. He slid one across to Solana, a peace offering, and Solana took it gratefully. He took a sip of his own and sat down next to Cindi. “Just fix it when she’s not looking. It’ll save all of us a bunch of trouble.”

If she had been next to him, Solana would have punched him in the shoulder, but she settled for a scandalized glare instead. Lunick just grinned.

The door to the junior ranger quarters opened slowly and a bleary-eyed Melody stepped into the living room, still rocking some Pueltown tourist pajamas with a Pueltown bridge and lighthouse pattern. She squinted at them and then walked forward in a vaguely zombie-like state. Everyone watched as she sat calmly next to Solana and took the coffee mug from out of her hands, promptly downing like half of it.

Solana snorted, covering her mouth, and glanced at Lunick , who was grinning. “Morning, Midge,” he greeted her, tacking her his nickname for her at the end. “Have a good night’s sleep?”

Having difficulty speaking, Melody gestured at Cindi, who rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “She was video chatting her brother until late last night. Apparently he’s at some fancy conference in Hoenn and the time difference made it hard to work out their weekly calls.”

Melody made another motion, as if urging Cindi on. Cindi sighed.

“And they had to talk because Isaac and Rhythmi just got engaged and Melody had to hear all about it.”

“What? That’s so exciting!” Solana grinned, slinging an arm around Melody and giving her a side hug.

“Hm, not when you have to hear about it all night,” Cindi muttered, but her tone was more teasing than truly grumpy.

“You must be so excited,” Solana continued. “Weddings are so fun.”

Melody nodded rather vigorously and resumed drinking Solana’s coffee.

“Okay, we’ll keep talking about this when you’re not half-asleep,” Solana tickled beneath her chin affectionately and Melody mumbled something grumpily and pushed her away. Grinning, Solana stood up, leaving her coffee for Melody, and walked towards Spenser’s quarters as soon as the door opened and he stepped out.

“I was wondering where you were at,” she grinned, putting a hand on her hip. “You’re usually out here before the sun and everything else worth being awake for.”

“Talking to Joel,” he explained, still looking exhausted but managing a brief smile. He certainly looked better than yesterday, she thought as she appraised him. He seemed to notice her concern and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder as he passed. Almost absentmindedly, she placed her own hand over his, squeezing it quickly in what she hoped was a comforting way, and then the moment was over.

“Well, looks like almost everyone’s here,” he looked over the group. “I’d like everyone to report for a base meeting later today around 4:30. Nothing major, I just think we should check in and talk about recent events.”

Everyone nodded except for Solana, who walked past Spenser back to her seat at the living room with her hand raised. Spenser sighed, another smile tugging at his lips. “Yes, Solana? You have a question?”

“So, I wanted to propose moving that meeting a half-hour later to 5:00, if that’s alright. Myself and some of the other Rangers have a prior engagement that will likely last past 4:30.”

Spenser looked at her critically. “And what engagement would that be?”

“Hide and seek,” she answered, voice unhelpfully cheerful.

Spenser stared at her.

“With Cynthia and Austin.”

He sighed. “Meeting is pushed back to 5:00.”

 

* * *

 

When Keith’s starraptor hit the ground, he’d been without sleep for close to 30 hours.

6 hours navigating through the Chroma Ruins investigating what turned out to be nothing, another 14 helping out at Fall City, and 10 hours of round trip flying. Such was the life of a Top Ranger.

He probably could have spent the night at his parents’, but since he’d be knocking on the door at 2 am and leaving at 7 am, he didn’t want to cause too much of a hassle, especially not when he could come back to the Union, close out his mission report, and collapse into the comfiest bed known to man.

It was one of the better perks of being a Top Ranger.

He made his way up to Operations first to report in and log his mission. Rhythmi was waiting in the communications hub, tapping away at her computer.

“I’m back,” he sighed, already removing his fingerless ranger gloves and pocketing them. “Log me in?”

“How was Fall City?” She asked, swiveling around in her chair.

“As bad as it looks on the news,” he grunted in reply. “Any news on Kate?”

He knew there wasn’t any news on Kate because, if there were, it would likely be on the front page of the Almia Times or, at the very least, the first thing that Rhythmi would tell him about when he came in, since he asked every single time he left the Ranger Union for any amount of time. And the pitying look that Rhythmi gave him every time he asked wasn’t exactly helping the matter.

“No, no news,” she answered quietly.

“So has the Chairperson decided when we’ll be sending out a team to find her?” He asked, voice clipped, and he removed his outer jacket as well, every step closer to being able to collapse into his bed.

“Keith,” Rhythmi sighed, and he knew what was coming. “We’re not sending anyone out.”

Maybe it was the lack of sleep or maybe it was the stress or maybe it was just the frustration of three months of nothing from his best friend in the world (or maybe also Keith’s natural lack of patience in everything), but he didn’t choose the leave the conversation there, as would be the smart thing.

“Right,” he snorted derisively, turning for the dormitories. “Great plan. I’m glad everyone is so concerned about her.”

He heard her get out of her chair almost immediately and that’s when he realized that he really shouldn’t have started this conversation because he had no intention of finishing it. “Keith, she took a leave of absence. She filed all the paperwork.”

“She needs her friends,” he shot back, storming down the escalator and likely scaring half the administrative staff. “But that’s fine. We’ll just let her run away and be alone and not try to help.”

“Keith, maybe she needs to be alone for a bit.”

He huffed in irritation, shoulders hunched. “Well, we’ll never know, will we? Since she didn’t tell either of us anything before completely disappearing.” There was a long moment of silence from Rhythmi that made him feel strangely guilty.

“Keith, you don’t mean that, you can’t blame her for all this –“

“I don’t,” he retorted, hating the mess of feelings now speaking for him instead of his actual brain. The escalator ended and the door to the Top Ranger dormitories (and his room, Arceus bless) was right up ahead and he finally turned to face Rhythmi. “I get it, Rhyth, I do. Now, I’ve been flying around on that starraptor, I swear to Arceus, since the creation of Palkia. Can you please just log me in?”

And there was that look of pity again, but it was Rhythmi and he loved Rhythmi too much to actually be mad at her. “Yeah, Keith,” she answered, nodding. “Get some sleep.”

“Thank you,” he said with a sigh and pushed through the dormitory doors.

It wasn’t until he was collapsed onto his bed, stripped down to his boxers because he had no energy to put on pajamas, that he realized that he never congratulated her on her engagement.

He really had to get his shit together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading!


	3. Time for Many Words and Time for Sleep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, thanks so much for the kudos and words of encouragement! Pokemon Ranger has always been one of my all-time favorite things to write and I'm so so glad to see people are enjoying it. 
> 
> Now for some Ranger Union intrigue, Keith being cute and sleepy, and some world building on what exactly it is that Rhythmi does besides call Kate and Keith whenever they finish a mission. Get ready for lots of Rhythmi and Keith friendship feels. At least I had a lot. 
> 
> Next chapter, we'll be back to Ringtown!

Keith woke up some indeterminable time later feeling like he was rising from the dead, as well as realizing that he had definitely taken off his socks in the middle of sleeping and thrown them across the room somewhere. He could see one of them from his bed, but he wasn’t entirely sure where the other one was.

That was when he focused on the buizel at the foot of his bed, chewing on his other sock, and staring at him now that he was awake. Keith groaned. “Really? Why?”

Buizel chattered something in response and gave a glare that said _“you know why.”_

“I didn’t bring you because you would have been so bored, I swear. And you would have hated that much flying.”  
  
A continued intense stare as Buizel ripped a hole in them.  
  
Keith frowned. “No fair, that’s one of the only ones that doesn’t have holes in it.”  
  
Buizel seemed to know this fact.  
  
Blinking blearily, he checked the clock next to his bed. Eleven hours. That had been the indeterminable amount of time that he had slept.  
  
He rolled back onto his back and raised his arm up to cover his eyes, sighing. Yes, the events of this morning were coming back to him quite well at this point and, yes, he had been just a small tiny bit of an asshole. Just a small little bit.  
  
This was going to require a baked good of some sort. And an hour listening to any kind of wedding details Rhythmi might was to share. Even if it was about the color scheme of the bridesmaid dresses. To be honest, he was curious about the floral arrangements himself – Rhythmi had great taste.  
  
He got up from bed (plus a few sad noises about leaving it) and switched on the TV on the wall as he started getting dressed. Buizel uncurled from her spot on the bed, and instead moved to the warm spot that Keith had left and spread out next to the pillow. Keith grabbed his ranger graduate t-shirt and some plain gray sweatpants as the news blared on the background.  
  
_“Fall City Mayor Newton Bradley has yet to comment on his take on the recent catastrophe in Fall City Harbor, only stating that the city is dedicated to supporting all those affected and that Fall City will come back better and stronger than before.”_  
  
“Not because of you,” Keith muttered under his breath.  
  
Dealing with politicians was all in a day’s work for Top Rangers, but that didn’t mean that Keith had to like it. And given the amount of times the Rangers were used as a political punchline, it was always a careful line to walk. Joel’s constant political (and non-political) disagreements with Mayor Bradley were infamous, but the general Fall City sentiment was that they were both strong leaders who cared about Fall City.  
  
Joel was still more popular than him overall – nobody like politicians that much when there was a ranger around. And Keith himself was on Joel’s side basically every time, but he might be a bit biased.  
  
After pulling on some shoes, Keith was ready to head down to the mess to see what he could scrounge up as a means of apology. Buizel gave a chirp of goodbye, seemingly ready to take a nap now that she was done destroying Keith’s clothing

The Union was busy this evening, although Keith assumed that it had less to with business as usual and more to do with the disaster of the day before yesterday. He was sure it had been all hands-on-deck after the news broke yesterday morning and some people just don’t know when to go home and go to sleep. Especially rangers.

He spotted the Almia Times on the way downstairs and grimaced at the sight of the rubble of Fall City harbor on the front. He’d have to take a look at the full article later. For now, he kept his head down and stayed on mission. There was a baked good to acquire, and he hadn’t decided if he’d be getting food himself. For some reason, he wasn’t hungry. The cover of the Almia Times and the news certainly hadn’t helped.  
  
Once down in the mess, Keith spotted a fellow Top Ranger – cowboy hat and all.  
  
Keith and Sven certainly hadn’t always gotten along, but Keith had warmed significantly to the deceptively charming and smooth older ranger, mostly because he understood him at least a bit better. Sven had an approach to life that he called the “swanna in water”. The act of swimming meant that a swanna had to kick its feet furiously under the surface, but, to the casual onlooker, it glided across the water as smoothly and serenely as if no water was being disrupted at all. It explained why Sven was so maddeningly calm (and dare he say cool) in even the most stressful situations.  
  
Keith wasn’t afraid to admit that he’d tried that mindset a few times and it had never worked well for him, so he had no idea how Sven did it. Emotions were not easy to hide.  
  
Keith watched Sven’s luxray reach up the counter and grab a donut on the far side of the table. Hey, at least he had good taste. Those donuts were delicious.  
  
“Sven,” Keith called out, grin coming to his face despite himself. “I thought you weren’t coming back for another few days.”  
  
“Keith,” he answered, examining the apple pile for the choice apple. “Yeah, back a few days early. Union’s orders.”  
  
Keith floated toward the dessert end of the table, examining his options. Which would Rhythmi like best? She liked chocolate things, but the chocolate chocolate chip cookie and the fudge brownie seemed equally appealing.  
  
“The cookie,” Sven said, shooting him a look.  
  
“It’s not for me –"   
  
“I know,” he answered wryly. “That’s why I said the cookie. For Rhythmi, I imagine. You don’t have much of a sweet tooth yourself and, seeing as Kate isn’t around for you to apologize to, it’s probably Rhythmi.”  
  
Keith glared. “And why would you ever get Rhythmi a cookie?”  
  
“I’m a nice guy,” he answered disarmingly as he surveyed the table one last time, seemingly satisfied with his apple and sandwich.  
  
Keith grumbled for a moment before taking the cookie and wrapping it in a napkin.  
  
“So, why back early?” He asked after a moment. “Because of the-“ he stopped mid-sentence, not knowing if he was supposed to reference the investigation or the attack at Fall City or anything else that might have come up while he was passed out for 11 hours.  
  
“Yeah,” Sven answered before Keith found the right words. “They’re suspending all international missions.” He took a moment to bite into his apple. “A detail from Hoenn is taking the professor back when the conference is over.”  
  
“Great,” Keith answered sourly, not trusting some randoms from Hoenn with the safety of one of his best friends (not to mention Rhythmi’s fiancé).

Sven caught his frown. “Hey, he’s in good hands. I met with the Hoenn guys before I left. Professionals.”  
  
Keith wasn’t quite convinced, so he just shrugged in response.  
  
“Know anything?” Sven continued conversationally, but in a quieter voice than before. “About what happened with Spenser and Joel?”  
  
“No.”  
  
Sven sighed. “This is why I need Wendy at the Union when I’m gone. You’re terrible at information collecting, Evans.”  
  
“Hm, thanks for the support,” he answered sarcastically, trying to decide if he wanted anything else to eat and, after a moment, grabbed a sandwich as well.  
  
“You were at Fall City though?”  
  
Keith nodded, quieter now. “Yeah, it was bad.”  
  
Sven shook his head, then whistled for Luxray (who must have been on his third donut at this point) as he headed out the door. “We’re in for a rough one, Evans.”  
  
Keith sighed, shoulders slumping for a moment as he considered their options. They’d made it out of worse, he was sure. His eyes caught the cookie in his hand again. Well, regardless of how his job was doing, he still had friends to take care of.  
  
He squared his shoulders again and set off toward operations.

* * *

 

Kate always said that Rhythmi became an operator because she liked to tell people what to do, and that wasn’t untrue.

Arceus, did she have the mind for it though. When she walked a ranger through their case or looked over a mission brief or improve the processes of the Union, it was like all the puzzle pieces fit together. She saw the mission and she saw the goal and the rest was calling people and setting up meetings and analyzing projections. She'd never felt more in control than when she was doing her job.  And given the chaos of the last few days, those skills were in more demand than ever.

She hadn’t been on duty that night, but she’d been called in at 5 am the morning the news broke, just so she could manage the Top Rangers, keep them away from the press, and field the questions and concerns of other Operators around Almia and Fiore who were just looking for answers.  She wasn't in any of the policy conversations – those were happening at a higher level, along with the Chairperson and her senior advisors. But there was plenty of damage control to do.

Currently, she stood in front of the whiteboard in front of the office, revisiting it as an end of shift wrap-up. The names of all 12 Top Rangers were written on it, check marks besides almost all of their names. Rhythmi only let herself take a cursory glance at Kate’s, marked by a star, because who the heck knew what the Chairperson’s decision would be with her.

Her eyes snapped onto the next name. “Marcus, update on Jackie?” She called out over her shoulder.

Marcus’ voice piped in from the left. “Received our message an hour ago. On his way back, under protest, of course.”

Rhythmi grinned to herself. “Protest noted.”

She gave the board another once over and then checked her watch. They were in good shape, Rex would be here any minute, and she was almost off the clock.

It had certainly been a long day. It certainly didn’t start well with Keith lashing out at her. Her eyes drifted back to Kate’s name on the board, and back to that goddamn star next to it. She had enough to worry about without also worrying that her best friend was losing her job and didn’t even know it. She had to make sure there would be a Pokemon Rangers for Kate to come back to.

The Top Operators had been told about the investigation one-by-one this morning, once their boss had a free moment to breath.  Rhythmi was surpised, but also not surprised.  It explained a lot about the tension in the air at the Union for the last month or so.

She hadn’t even noticed that she’d been absentmindedly playing with the engagement band on her finger until Linda stepped up next to her, hip-checking her with a smirk. “Soon-to-be hubby back yet?”

Rhythmi tried not to blush, which was exactly what Linda was going for, the terror. It was still all so new, and, although Rhythmi was certainly no stranger to gossip, this was different.

“No,” she answered, her voice a bit petulant at the end, and hip-checked Linda back. “Still a few more days.”

“Well, I can’t say congratulations enough,” Linda replied, grinning. “Plus, Marcus and I are already planning the best bachelorette party of the century.”

Rhythmi gave her a stern look. “No party bus.”

Linda sighed, patting her on the shoulder. “Oh, Rhyth. That was so last year. I have much higher aspirations than a party bus.”

“ _Higher_ aspirations than a party bus?”

Linda nodded knowingly. “Right? I haven’t confirmed that they exist yet, but I’ve turned up some good evidence so far.”

Rhythmi sighed. “Fine, but keep it, like --”

“Do not say PG-13.”

“I was going to say R,” Rhythmi finished, putting her hands on her hips. “I’ll have you remember that I was the one who planned your 21st birthday.”

“Fine, I will keep it not too crazy, promise,” Linda grinned, tracing an “x” over her heart to show that she was appropriately crossing her heart (hope to die, stick a needle in my eye). Rhythmi grinned.

The sound of footsteps came from the direction of the escalator and Rhythmi heard her boss’s familiar voice echo through the base.

“K, I’m telling you, the blankie is under the kitchen table because she threw it there this morning.” A pause. “Sorry, nope, I meant the dining room table, definitely the dining room.” Another pause. “The coffee table? It’s under one of the tables, I swear.”

Rex Kelly, Head of the Ranger Union Operators and one of Chairperson Erma’s senior advisors, glanced up to see his audience and shot them a chagrined smile and a wave. The life of having a four year old, Rhythmi assumed. And the craziness of the last few days – Rex had gone home for the day only after spending all of yesterday, last night, and this morning managing the chaos.

“Okay, Katie, I’m on shift now, but message me when you find it. Love you. Bye.”

“Missing your days of paternity leave?” Linda asked with a smarmy grin, to which Rex rolled his eyes.

“Even more when I see all of your ugly mugs,” he teased, hitching his backpack up on his back as he made for his desk. He shot a look at Rhythmi. “When you get a chance, Rhythmi, come brief me on the current status.”

Without another word, she gathered her papers on her clipboard, put it on her desk, and filed after him into his office.

Rex Kelly was a legend among Operators -- now in his mid-30s, and he’d already been a Top Operator for 12 years, with some of the greatest missions and tactical planning under his belt. After those 12 years, he’d taken on his next great challenge: retirement and fatherhood.

Of course, three years later, he was back again as one of the Chairperson’s top advisors and Rhythmi’s hero, boss, and overall aspiring person-to-be, although she would like to have better style. Rhythmi was sure there was a clause in his offer letter that said he was allowed to constantly wear big, noise-cancelling headphones around his neck and a hoodie.

“What’s the status with all the Top Rangers?” He asked, settling behind his desk. “Are they all local again?”

“Jackie’s still in Kanto, but he’s on his way back,” she answered, standing on the other side of his desk with her hands behind her back.

“Dragging his feet?”

Rhythmi grinned. “Probably.”

“Eh, let him,” he shrugged. “He'll have enough time to complain about spinning his wheels once he gets back.  We don't need him to start sooner.”

Rhythmi shifted. “And then there’s the matter of Kate.”

“Yes,” Rex answered, sitting up in his chair. “You’re to see Chairperson Erma about that. In about a half an hour, which is the closest time I could get you.”

“Oh,” she said, trying to hide her surprise. “Of course. Any idea where the conversation will go?”

“Not sure,” he shrugged. “She just said she’d like to talk to you.”

Somehow, she felt like he might now more than he was letting on, but he did that sometimes. Information was power, as Rhythmi knew and as Rex taught them all. Information could mean the success or failure of a Top Ranger’s mission – the survival or death of the Top Ranger themselves – and it was the job of an Operator to supply it (or hold it back).

She trusted him on this.

“Yes, sir,” she answered, nodding. “The chairperson’s office at 6:30, then?”

He nodded, turning down to his desk to sort through some papers. “Dismissed. And could you print out the copy of today’s log before you go and leave it on your desk? I’ll go through it once I get settled in.”

“Of course,” she said, ducking her head in acknowledgement on the way out. “Have a good shift, sir.”

“Have a good meeting,” he answered absentmindedly.

* * *

She spent the thirty minutes before her meeting collapsed on the couch in the Top Ranger lounge, chewing on her bottom lip and trying not to think too hard about how this meeting was going to go and what she would tell Keith depending on how it went when the devil himself arrived.

The door to the lounge opened to show Keith, dressed in sweats and a Ranger School graduate t-shirt and with messy, auburn hair looking like a bird had been nesting in it. Despite her anxiety, she grinned, especially once she saw the cookie in his hand.

“Is that for me?”

“Best way I know how to apologize,” he answered and collapsed on the couch next to her, handing her the treat.

“I’m not complaining,” she grinned, and picked off a piece of it. Especially with her meeting coming up, this was the best comfort food.

He melted against her, sliding halfway down the couch and resting his head against her upper arm. “I’m sorry, Rhyth. I really am.”

She sighed with an affectionate smile and reached her opposite arm around to flatten at least some of the crazy bedhead he had going on. “I know.”

“I just miss her a lot.”

She paused in fixing his hair to break off another piece of cookie. “I know. Me too.”

“And you were right, to call me out on blaming her,” he continued, suddenly interested in picking at the pilling on his old sweatpants. “I was blaming her. I mean, I don’t. But I was then and I don’t want to be that way. It’s going to make me a bitter asshole and it’s not fair to her.”

Rhythmi shrugged, which caused Keith’s head to slip and he seemed to just give up and laid his head down on the couch right next to her leg. “I know what you mean, though. Sometimes I wished she had talked to us before she left, too.” She sighed. “But I guess she couldn’t. And that means she needs our help, not our anger or frustration or, I don’t know. Whatever emotions you're feeling.”

“I still wish we’d go after her,” Keith said, with a bit of an edge, because he was still Keith. Loyal to a fault and impatient Keith, who wore his heart on his sleeve and would take on the whole world, if it would help. He sighed and rolled onto his back. “But I get it.”

“We’ll be here for her when she comes back,” Rhythmi said fondly. She found herself playing with Keith’s mess of hair again, which he relaxed into. Rhythmi was a very physically affectionate person and Keith didn’t get nearly enough affection, especially not with the prickles than he put up around his heart most of the time.

Although Rhythmi assumed that Kate would probably know more about that. Rhythmi was more perceptive than most, and one didn’t need to be perceptive to see what was going on there.

Keith sighed. “I just hate being helpless. I feel like one of those wives waiting for their husbands to get back from war, except that she didn’t go to war and I don’t know if she wants to come back.”

“And you’re not married,” she retorted dryly with a knowing grin, much to his evading eyes.

Keith grumbled. “You know what I meant.”

“Speaking of –“ Rhythmi started and then watched Keith's eyes widen in realization, and then his expression turned sheepish.

“Ah, yes, the other thing I was an asshole about,” he cut in, face soft and apologetic. “Congratulations, Rhyth. I can’t believe you guys are going to get married. You’re two of my best friends and you’re both amazing and you’re going to be so happy.”

“No harm, no foul,” she answered, rubbing his shoulder in what she hoped was a comforting way. “You’ll still be in the wedding party. Although Isaac and I are currently fighting over you. I knew you first, so I’m trying to call dibs and make you one of my bridesmaids, but I think Isaac wants you for best man, so he’ll probably win.”

“I will serve whatever role you so request,” he replied, grinning at her lazily. How this boy could have just slept almost 12 hours and still look sleepy was beyond her. “Although if the bridesmaids’ dress clashes with my hair, then that’s it. I’m out.”

“They’ll be navy blue, you’re fine,” she huffed, flicking his temple, which he moved much too late to block.

“Phew, okay, I can make it. What about the flower arrangement?”

She pursed her lips at him, not sure if he was making fun of her or not. “Not sure yet. But you’ll be the first to know.”

“Then tell me what you do know,” he answered, squinting up at her now, as if expecting her to flick him again, but something genuine in his eyes all the same. It seemed that he wasn’t making fun of her and Rhythmi reflected that he certainly had grown up in the six years she’d known him.

“For the next ten minutes,” she said, mouth twisted in amusement. “And then I have to go.”

 _To find out if our best friend is ever coming back_ , she thought to herself, but instead kept talking and enjoyed this small, little moment that made everything else so worthwhile.

* * *

It was hours later when Rhythmi finally opened up her computer – her personal computer – in the darkness of her and Isaac’s Pueltown apartment. She’d been thinking about the message she would craft the whole walk home and the whole time she was cooking dinner and the moments she had spent thinking on the couch, turning over the words in her head.

She knew what the operations room would look like this late at night, lights in the rest of the building dimmed or off, Rex typing quietly on his computer in his office, holding down the fort. It would have been quiet enough for her to do her work there, but she didn’t want to leave it to chance that someone looked over her shoulder and saw what she was typing.

Plus, she had already decided not to say anything to Keith yet. Information mattered.  And Keith was too inside his own head right now. He didn’t need to know that the Union had a way to contact Kate, not after they’d stonewalled him and Rhythmi for so long.

Now it was her, her mug of hot chocolate, and the computer in front of her. She started her message.

_Dear Kate._

An hour and an empty mug of hot chocolate later, she pressed send and sat back in her chair, empty mug clutched in both hands and pressed against her chest as she stared at the screen. Now it was time to wait.


	4. Return of the Prodigal Son (Part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The calm before the storm. This chapter features Spenser (all the Spenser!), wild card ranger Jack Walker (if anyone's seen that movie Pokemon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea), more regional base/Ranger Union dynamics, Top Chef: Johto Edition, and an absurd amount of fluffy Spenser/Solana. Sorry, I can't help myself.
> 
> Next chapter will be plot plot plot. Probably about time.

Spenser was now on the final round of his apology tour, which had started this morning after he discovered that Kyrie had been leaving the editor of the Ringtown Gazette out to dry for _days,_ out of some sense of misguided loyalty.

She had claimed that it was because Phil Garrison was being a little shit (which Spenser more than believed), but, regardless, freedom of press was a right and Spenser would rather give quotes that pointed toward an apology piece than a critique of his leadership thus far.

He’d spoken to his rangers, called the press and issued a formal apology, shown his face on a patrol or two to reassure the people of Ringtown that he wasn’t going anywhere.  The last stop was the mayor’s office.

Mayor Santos was a woman in her late fifties who’d been born in the town and only left for university, then came right back to practice in the town’s only law firm (which traveled pretty frequently to Fall City, kind of a waste) and had always seemed to be edging into the political scene like it was her birthright.  She was inherently likeable and she and Spenser had certainly always got along, but he’d caused a lot of shit in the last few days.

“Spenser, dear, what have you gotten yourself into?”  She immediately tutted, giving him that over the glasses look at he was never quite sure was playful or vaguely reprimanding, before settling down behind her desk. 

He ducked his head in his best approximation of an apology without looking too ashamed.  “I apologize for all this mess, Mayor, I assure you this was a one-time mistake and I’m more than capable of keeping this town safe –“

“Spenser, I’m going to stop you right there,” she smiled with a shake of her head and he froze for a moment, throat suddenly going dry.  She folded her hands in front of her on the desk.  “For how much of your tenure as Ringtown leader have I been the mayor?”

Spenser blinked.  “All of it.”

“And how much respect did I have for the previous Ringtown leader and _your_ mentor, who entrusted you with his base?”

He narrowed his eyes infinitesimally, trying to figure out where this was going.  “A lot.”

“Have I ever expressed any concern on how you run your base and your competency as a leader?”

He was pretty sure he could start breathing again.  “No.”

“I think it’s safe to assume that Ringtown is behind you 100%, then,” she answered, businesslike, and pushed up her glasses.  “This town loves your base and, thanks to you and Solana and Lunick, your public image is pristine.  We all mess up and I’m satisfied with how you’re dealing with the fallout.  You’ll have nothing but support from me.”

He finally let out a breath and smiled.  “Thank you, Mayor Santos.  That means a lot to me.  I appreciate it.”

At least he could breathe easy on one account.

* * *

 

He stopped by Kyrie’s desk before going in the base.

Spenser could be a naturally anxious person, but he never put that on his rangers, never let them see him at odds with the job or in danger.  He hated when it did happen, frankly, because his job was to protect them and train them and give them a safe place to learn, more than in just the physical sense.

Besides Solana and the occasional phone call to Joel, Kyrie was the person he could confide in about everything and one of the only reasons he was still sane.   

“So, what’s the verdict?  Have you been proven innocent or guilty?”  She asked conversationally, eyeing him as if checking that all his organs were still working and he was still breathing. 

He heaved a breath and folded his arms over the front desk.  “You can tell she’s a lawyer right away, huh?”

“Yup,” Kyrie answered, popping the “p” at the end.  “But really, how’d it go?”

“She’s behind us – me – all the way.”

“I figured,” she shrugged.  “Still good to hear it.  Now if only the other cities around Almia and Fiore had as reasonable human beings in positions of power.  Starting with that asshole Mayor Bradley.”

Spenser sighed.  “More trouble?”

“More like more vague quotes coming from ‘sources near the mayor’.  He’s not even trying to be subtle over there.”

“14-year-old Spenser hates that this is coming out of my mouth,” Spenser said, looking up as if apologizing to some 14-year-old version of him in the past and then realized what he was doing and tried to act normal again.  “But Joel is a saint for dealing with him.  Arceus.”

“Agreed,” Kyrie raised an eyebrow.  “Well, you can breathe easy now.  You’ve made the rounds and no one’s overly pissed at you.  Phil Garrison will write his shitty story and 12 people will read it and then we can put this behind us.”

He snorted, but didn’t say anything.

“You’re worried about your job,” she deadpanned.

Spenser gave Kyrie an incredulous look.  “Yeah, I’m worried about my job.  Turn on the news.  We should all be worried about our jobs.”  He squinted at her.  “Why aren’t you worried about your job?”

“I prefer not to worry over things that I can’t control,” Kyrie sighed.  “It has helpful side effects, like not having a heart attack before I’m 40.”

“Hey, that’s Joel’s schtick, not mine.”

“Not when it’s the people you love,” she replied, shooting him a wry look. 

Spenser scowled, crossing his arms.  “Fine, you _might_ have a point.”

Kyrie grinned.

“I still outrank you though,” he shot back as he made his leave of the lobby, feeling the sudden desire to collapse on something comfortable and soft.

She snorted, her response following him through the double doors into the Ringtown Ranger quarters.  “You wish.”

He ambled into the kitchen first, opening the fridge, staring at what was in there, getting nothing, and then moving to the pantry.  After perusing the pantry for a few moments, he moved back to the fridge.  Then the pantry again.

He didn’t know what he thought would have changed.

After a few minutes of muddling around and deciding that he wasn’t ultimately hungry, Spenser suddenly realized how deadly quietly it was in the base.

Melody and Lunick had been on the schedule for the late afternoon patrol, but that still left Solana, Cindi, and Kai.  The lack of sound was particularly concerning when considering the antics Solana usually got up to.  Spenser wasn’t used to silence in the Ringtown base. 

He paused and, deciding to investigate, exited the kitchen and walked down the hallway to the living room when, all of a sudden, he heard the hallway closet slam open and a body crash into his as _somebody_ jumped on his back.

Solana was lucky that he had the natural instinct to catch her.

To his greater surprise, a familiar face popped out from behind the corner – Jack Walker, wandering Top Ranger and the third member of the terrible trio of Spenser-Joel-and-Jackie that had tornadoed through the halls of Ranger School.  Jackie was so frequently on the move that Spenser couldn’t remember the last place he’d heard the Top Ranger was.  Then again, he suspected Jackie liked it like that.    

The blond Top Ranger grinned and the rest of his body came out from behind the corner.  “Gotcha.”

Solana hooked her chin over his shoulder comfortably.  “Surprise?”

Spenser huffed out a breath as he recovered from the sneak attack.  “Real stealthy, guys.  Great work.”

He could feel Solana’s chin lift up in a self-satisfied grin and then she was sliding off this back.  With greater physical mobility now, Spenser stepped forward to give Jackie a welcoming hug.  “Jackie, hey,” he said, drawing back, but not without throwing a chastising punch to Jackie’s shoulder.  “Got to say, you were the last person I was expecting.”

“Aren’t I always?”  He grinned.

“That is your specialty,” Spenser replied wryly.  “Where are you back from this time?  Kanto?  Oblivia?  Some warm tropical beach that probably had Cameron jealous?”

“He’s going to answer with ‘classified’,” Solana edged in, using literal air quotes.  She leaned against the hallway wall, crossing her arms.  “Tch.”

Spenser adopted an expression of mild upset.  “We’re the same level clearance.”

Jackie laughed.  “Oh, well, I can tell _you_.  I just have to keep that information away from the peons, you know –“ and had to cut himself off when jumping back to avoid a playful swipe from Solana. 

Spenser had to admit, he’d been surprised when Jackie and Solana had hit it off so well, a year after her recruitment to Ringtown Base and shortly following the end of the Go Rock Squad incident, when the two first crossed paths.  Their primary motivators were the exact opposite; Solana always just wanted to find a home and Jackie wanted to find adventure and danger and everything but that.  But he supposed that maybe that’s what they found to comforting in the other – the idea that the opposite was valuable and not something to be feared at all.  It was one of the comfortingly more healthy and supportive relationships he’d seen.

“We were watching Top Chef: Johto Edition before you walked in,” Solana informed him very seriously, after failing to knock Jackie down a peg or two for calling her a peon.  “They cut those vegetables so fast, Spenser.  It’s amazing they don’t cut their own fingers off by accident.”

“Oh Jackie,” he sighed, stepping past them to the living room where Top Chef: Johto Edition was indeed paused on the television screen.  He plopped down on the couch, happy to put his feet up.  “You had to go giving her ideas.”

Solana was notoriously known throughout Fiore and Almia as the Worst Cook Known to Man™.  Spenser was pretty sure there was a few articles in the Ringtown Gazette about it over the years, but, as he’d established many times, Phil Garrison was the worst.

“Nah,” Jackie responded, following suit by propping himself up in the single armchair.  “There was a ‘do not try this at home’ disclaimer at the beginning, so I think she got the message loud and clear.”

Solana pretending not to be Offended Solana was always the best Solana because it involved some arm crossing and mild huffing and fake-glaring that always made him grin.  But he also knew when to let off her and a joke was a joke.  He motioned for her to take the other side of the couch and grinned at her.

“Hey, ‘Lana, remember that you are the only one who knows how to fix the leaky faucet in the bathroom, so, cooking skills aside, you are the real MVP of this base.”

She rolled her eyes and curled up on the couch.  “Mhm, yes, please work on your sweet-talking, _Leader._ ”

“Definitely why he hasn’t had a girlfriend in two years,” Jackie added innocently, before pointing at Solana.  “Boom.  See, you thought I wasn’t going to be able to work that in there, but I did.  Only a few hours back in Fiore and I’m already doing Arceus’ work.”

Spenser sighed, kicking at Jackie’s feet, which were also on the coffee table.  “You shaming me about not having a girlfriend is not doing anything to help me actually get a girlfriend.”

“Hm, you don’t need help,” Jackie answered in amusement, glance flicking to Solana not-too-subtly.  “Just motivation.”

Spenser grunted, not wanting to pursue the conversation any further because there was no winning, especially when Solana was in the room, and nodded toward the TV.  “Are you guys gonna finish this episode, or not?”

“ _I_ am,” Solana asserted, curling up her feet underneath her as she shifted forward for the remote.  “You two are going out.”  She quickly pointed at Spenser before he could even open his mouth, goddamn her quick reflexes and superior knowledge of how he would react.  “And yes, you are going.  You have been a ticking time bomb, Spenser, and getting out of this base is going to be really good for you, I swear.  Go defuse your energy elsewhere.”

“That’s definitely not how bombs work,” Jackie pointed out, not at all helpfully.

“Jack Walker,” she answered, eyes flashing.  “You are here to help.”

“Yup, being helpful,” he nodded, as chagrined as Jack Walker could be.  “It’s my thing.”

Spenser snorted.

* * *

 

Spenser knew that Solana would be right and he could feel the anxiety ooze out of him the farther he got from the Ringtown base and his leader responsibilities.  He was in civilian clothes, at some shitty dive bar on the outskirts of Fall City, where no one would come up to him demanding answers or show him a cover of Fiore Weekly.  To be honest, it was a breath of fresh air.

The alcohol probably helped too.

“She asked you to come,” he finally stated, two beer and a shot of whiskey in, and only after snagging a cheese fry from Jackie’s plate.  It was a question, but not a question, and Jackie reacted accordingly confused.

“No,” he answered, thinking for a moment.  Then “Yes, but no.  I would have come anyway.”

“But this was your first stop because Solana called,” he concluded.

“Yeah,” Jackie said, and, for all his multiple layers that made undercover work come so easy, he never lied to his friends.  “Which is a good thing.  She was worried about you.”

He huffed.  “I don’t want her worried about me.”

Jackie shot him a glance that was a little too knowing.  “You’re lucky to have her.”

“I know,” he answered defensively, taking another sip of his beer.  The shot of whiskey had been the first thing Jackie had ordered for them – for old time’s sake, whatever that meant – but Spenser was getting too old for this shit.  Wanting to change the subject, he shot a side glance at Jack.  “Been back to the Union yet?”

“For about five minutes, just getting tagged,” he explained, eating another cheese fry.  “They’re making sure all the Top Rangers are back, pulling out from all international operations.”  He sighed.  “And since that’s kind of my thing, that means you’ll be seeing a lot more of me, right here in Fiore.”

Spenser grinned wryly.  “Hm, that should be something to see.”

“Hm,” Jackie grunted, neutrally.  “If I don’t go stir crazy first.”

“You give Rex a hard time yet?” 

Jackie snorted.  “He was on duty, so I threw a few carefully worded pieces of feedback.”

“Was anyone-“ he knew he shouldn’t be talking about this – the whole point of this was to not talk about it – but curiosity was getting the best of him and, with three days with no word from the Ranger Union, it was only normal to get antsy.  “Was anyone talking about the Fall City port disaster?”

“I didn’t hear anything,” Jackie admitted somewhat apologetically.  “But I was literally there for five minutes.  Not keen on sticking around.”  He paused.  “Do you know who told you both to do it?  Who gave the order?”

Spenser shrugged.  “No.  Both the Fall City operator and Joel spoke to someone on the phone, though.  Not sure who it was, definitely just the person delivering the message.”

“Hm, I’ll get to the bottom of it,” Jackie announced, that distinctive investigative Top Ranger look in his eye that always meant trouble.  He leaned back in his chair.  “Nobody messes with my two best friends and gets away with it.”

“Jackie,” Spenser all but whined, seeing exactly where this was going.  “C’mon, there’s no need.  It’s over, Joel and I are over it.  Can’t you just enjoy your vacation like normal person instead of stirring up shit like you _always_ do.”

“Nope,” he answered with a grin.  “I am incapable, sorry.”  After a moment, he glanced over at Spenser, face more serious now.  “Besides, if there’s someone amongst Erma’s advisors that’s making decisions out of desperation and risking the Rangers in the process, wouldn’t you like to know who?  The regional bases are too cut off from the Union.  You all need to know what the lay of the land is.”

“I think it’s more to satisfy your curiosity, but, that’s a good reason too,” Spenser conceded, frowning.  “It seems so divisive, though.  I want to be able to trust people.”

“Well, here in this little world you’ve created in Ringtown, you can do that,” Jackie shot back, seemingly unreadable for a moment.  “But you’ve gotten burned once, Spense.  You have to be more careful moving forward.”

He sighed.  “Yeah, yeah.  You and Joel were always so much better at that.”

The blond Top Ranger gave him a grin.  “Nah, you just like people.  That’s a good thing.  Just not always helpful.”

“Thanks, I guess,” Spenser answered ruefully, downing more of his drink. 

“And stop worrying about your job,” Jackie added.  “Kyrie says you’re raising your blood pressure.  At this rate, I’m going to have to put you and Joel at a retirement home in, like, ten years when your hearts can no longer take the stress.”

Spenser rolled his eyes at this.

“I mean it, Spense,” he chastised more seriously, pointing a cheese fry at him.  “Your health is serious.”

“As we eat an order of cheese fries and drink beer,” Spenser pointed out dryly.  “Besides, aren’t you the guy that parachutes out of things and almost dies all the time?”  

“But I always eat my vegetables,” Jackie informed him, trying to maintain a level of solemnity that was clearly slipping.

Spenser huffed out a laugh and pushed his shoulder good-naturedly.  “You’re so full of shit.”

Jackie grinned.  “You think we’ll need a second order of the fries?”

“Yup,” Spenser agreed, and flagged the bartender down.

* * *

 

It was late when Spenser and Jackie returned to Ringtown base, trying their best to be quiet as they snuck through the base, but still managing to giggle their way through the lobby like they were still 14 and in Ranger School.  It was mostly Jackie’s fault – he walked into like two walls on his way in and even stubbed his toe on the corner of the front desk.

At the time, it seemed hilarious.

Predictably, Solana was the only one left awake at that point, the night owl.  She was sitting in the living room again, Top Chef at the lowest possible audible volume as she typed something up on the base laptop.  She looked up and grinned wryly at the entry of both men, closing the laptop with a faint click.  “Well, well, look what the Persian dragged in.”

“I did my duty, mission report will be on your desk within the hour,” Jackie answered sardonically, fake-saluting, and then mumbled something about sleeping on the couch in Spenser’s office and took off.

Spenser plopped down on the couch next to his senior ranger, letting out a sigh of relaxation.  This was his mistake; it was going to be too difficult to get up and make it to his bed after this.

Solana tilted her head to appraise him with an affectionate grin.  “Plusle’s gonna be mad that you took her seat, you know.”

“Pft,” he huffed and scooted down even lower on the couch, hair now getting very messy from the cushion.  “She can fight me for it.”

She wrinkled her nose in response, looking much too delighted at the prospect of tipsy Spenser fighting anyone, probably.  “I don’t know how well that would go for you.”

“Yeah, I’d get my ass kicked,” he answered, matter-of-factly, and then raised his arm to tap on the laptop in her lap.  “What were you working on?”

Her mouth twisted and her shoulder came up in a shrug and Spenser knew the answer before she finished it because only one thing got Solana this uncertain and vulnerable.  “Writing an email to my mom.  We’ve gotten in a pretty good rhythm, so that’s good.  She’s trying.”

“That is good,” he agreed, voice softer, because he knew this was hard for her.  She came to the Rangers to find a home and a purpose and a _family_ because hers had never been much of one.  It was what made her so perfect for Ringtown and for his leadership style.

She hugged the laptop to her chest, eyes somewhere else for a moment, until they flicked back over to him.  “And you and Jackie?  You had a good time?”

Spenser nodded emphatically.  “And ate lots of cheese fries.  It was just what I needed, thanks, ‘Lana.”

She smiled, pleased with herself.  “Good.  I’m glad.”

He nodded to himself.  “ _And_ Jackie’s going to take on the whole Ranger Union while he’s stuck here, so what else is new?”

Solana’s eyebrows shot up.

“He’s pissed about me and Joel getting screwed over,” Spenser sighed.  “He’s got a few logical reasons about it too.  He’s just gonna do his Jackie thing, poke around where he’s not supposed to, you know.  He just needs a project while he’s here, to be honest.”

Solana huffed.  “He knows what he’s doing, right?”

“I think?”  He said, more of a question than any vote of confidence.  “I mean, he’ll certainly get what he wants.  Jackie’s very good at that.  I’m just not so sure it’s going to help anything.”

She nodded.  “Makes sense.  Speaking of the Ranger Union, though,” she sighed, sinking down low on the couch to match him.  “They called while you were gone.”  She interrupted him before he could start worrying about calling them back, which was exactly what he was doing.  “For me.”

“Oh,” he answered and somehow, that made him panic more, but he kept that under control because it wouldn’t help her.  He shifted to his side now, curled in on himself, without realizing that she had subconsciously mirrored him.

“They want me to come in tomorrow morning,” she continued, the frown clear on her face.  Solana hated going to the Ranger Union – to be fair, she usually only went for yearly assessments and when they wanted something from her.  She’d been offered multiple different promotions since her deft handling of the Go Rock Squad incident and turned down all of them.  Spenser knew that she wouldn’t leave Ringtown, not while he and Lunick and Kyrie and their junior rangers were here.  She’d worked too hard to turn the Ringtown base into what it was today and she had no interest in a promotion. 

The Union wasn’t all suits and bureaucracy though.  The monthly leadership meetings that Spenser always went to were often the only time he got to see any of his fellow leaders and those could be pretty fun, depending on the meeting agenda.

“You know what they want you for?”  He asked finally, voice hushed in the quiet base.

She shrugged.  “Dunno.”

He sighed.  “We can ask Jackie if he knows anything, if you want –“

She shook her head before he even finished.  “No, no, it’ll be okay.  I’ve been there enough, I should be able to handle this.”

“Stuff is weird right now, though, I get it,” he answered, not repeating the fact that they both knew.  The Ranger Union was getting increasingly desperate and everything they did affected the regional bases in ways that couldn’t exactly be foreseen. 

She nodded, looking thoughtful for a moment, then looked back to him, nose wrinkling.  “Sleep would probably be a good idea at some point though, huh?”

“Yeah,” he said, cracking a smile, and watched as she rose up from the couch, stretching. 

She looked back at him, usual bun now lop-sided from lying on the couch.  “You too, sleepyhead,” she quipped, poking his shoulder.

“Mhm,” he grunted in response.  “Eventually.”

“C’mon, I’ll help,” she reasoned, reaching out for his hand, and that was the moment that the bottom of his heart just fell out on him with no warning at all, as it was wont to do with Solana around.  And because he didn’t know what else to do, he gripped her hand tightly and let her pull him up, making sleepy noises of protest as she did. 

“Didn’t realize alcohol made you so sleepy,” she said smugly, pulling him down the hallway to his room.

“Ugh, I didn’t realize that endless Top Chef re-runs at midnight made you so chipper,” he huffed.  “Try waking up at 6 am sometime.”

“No thanks,” she answered, fake sweetly, and then they were face-to-face in front of his closed door and she leaned against the frame, tilting her head.  “Hope Jackie doesn’t snore.”

Spenser sighed, the long sigh of a suffering martyr.  “Only when he drinks.  But, we’ll have a wall in between us, so that should help.”

“Well, try to get some solid sleep, huh?”  She reminded him, adopting her sternest Solana voice, and tugged his hand a bit for emphasis.

It was true, they were still holding hands, but it had happened a few times before, for practical reasons, and this wasn’t _much_ different.  Solana was a fairly affectionate person in general.  She definitely held hands with people all the time.

He tried to squash the part of him that said that this felt very, very different, in a way that he knew he could get used to way too fast.  His relationship with Solana was different – he wouldn’t even know where to start.  She was such an integral part of his life and of Ringtown’s base and, they were close, but it was a delicate subject to hypothesize anything more.

It didn’t help his heart from feeling like it was running a 100 meter dash every time she smiled at him though.

“I’ll be on first patrol tomorrow, so, if I don’t see you before you go, good luck at the Union,” he said, squinting, and squeezed her hand before letting it go.  “You’ll be great.”

She scoffed.  “What loser thought it’d be a good idea to go out drinking the night before an early morning patrol?”

“You, Solana,” he deadpanned, leaning in a bit more, just to better see the grin on her face.  “You were that loser.”

“Yup,” she answered, leaning forward herself and doing that same ticklish under-the-chin move of affection that she always pulled on Melody.  “Sucker.”

“Psh,” he scoffed, blocking her attempt and pulling her into a hug at the same time, letting her huff into his shoulder.  “Only for you, ‘Lana.”  

She rolled her eyes at his teasing tone and, after they’d pulled back, punched his shoulder good-naturedly.  “Goodnight, Spense.”

“Night, Solana,” he answered, blinking, unable to turn back to his room until she’d rounded the corner because he was still trying to enjoy that wave of happiness that always passed over him whenever they had moments like that.  Sighing, he opened the door to his office and walked in.

Jackie spoke when Spenser was already moving toward the door to his bedroom, trying not to wake his friend. 

“Sucker.”

Spenser found the following _ow_ in the darkness incredibly satisfying when he found an errant couch pillow to throw at Jackie.                  


End file.
